Uruk
Uruk literally means "Orc", (derived from ancient Elvish Urku or Uruku, "Monster, Demon") but is used exclusively or at last mostly to describe the great Soldier-Orcs.The Term is often used as abbreviated version or westronisation of Uruk-Hai but is sometimes also used to describe greater Orcs or Hobgoblins in general. In Adûnaic Uruk was the general term for any sort of Orc-creature or Goblin, the word Urûk in Ansith derives from the númenórean term.Other derivations of the Name are Orog (Deep-Orcs), Orsimer (Avarin), Euroz (Plainstongue), Arakî (Old Wômarin), Rakhās (Khuzdul), Ruk, Tanarukk etc.. History During the conflicts between the Bright Lord and the Dark Lord Sauron, Mordor seemed to be inhabited mostly by Uruks, who acted as the God's soldier-orcs. Some were also dominated by Celebrimbor and forced them to turn against their Master. Hierarchy Uruks can also be classified by rank, or chain of command: * Warchiefs - Uruk Warchiefs are the elite. They kill their way to the top, and defend their position with absolute ferocity. They gather a squad of Bodyguards to serve under them and protect them from the constant threats to their authority (and their lives). These Bodyguards are loyal as long as they fear their Master, and will defend him - but the Warchief is always on guard against the knife in the back. As such, Warchiefs generally avoid being seen, and only emerge after being drawn out into combat by a powerful foe. To refuse combat from such a foe would be a sign of weakness, and spell doom for a Warchief. They will always be surrounded by a group of bodyguards, including one or more Captains (indicated by the link to their Warchief in the "Sauron's Army" screen). These Captains will take the place of the Warchief if he is killed. In the instance of there being two or more linked Captains, the one with the highest Power will become Warchief. * Captains - Uruk Captains oversee Sauron's Army. They enforce construction and demolition projects, craft battle plans, and administer descipline to their underlings. The Uruk hierarchy is combative; Captains win their place by slaughtering those above them, and keep power by destroying underlings who might oppose them. This ensures endless competition among the Uruks, and winning the rank of Captain means an Uruk is one of the strongest, deadliest, and most devious of their kind. As a measure of their status, Captains often carry the best weapons and armor pried from the corpses of the foes they have killed, and bear the scars from the battles they have fought. * Soldiers - The most common Uruk that are in the land of Mordor. If one accomplishes some great feat, such as killing a ranger, killing a Captain , or is an opportunist, i.e. taking up the empty position of a recently deceased Captain, they will enter the System as a Captain. Any Soldier is capable of becoming a Captain. They make up the ranks of Sauron's army and are the easiest enemies to brand. * Warrior - Most frequently encountered type of Uruk soldier. They vary from scrawny sized to large, and everything in between. They carry a one-handed weapon, typically a sword or club of some kind. They also posses throwing weapons that they can use against targets some distance away. * Archer (crossbow) - Basic ranged Uruk. They are more scrawny than the other Uruks. Usually found on higher ground, to be safe from attackers as well as having a better vantage point to shoot from, otherwise are found usually alone on higher ground or behind melee Uruks. Arrows cannot be countered but can be dodged. As they have lower toughness than other melee-oriented Uruks, they are easily dealt with once engaged. * Berserker - Similar to warriors, but wield two weapons instead of one. Always the larger of the Uruks with faces smeared in warpaint. Deal much more damage and are capable of throwing their weapons. * Defender - Uruks that are able to block frontal attacks with their massive shields and carry huge spears that are slow, but have good reach. They are usually the largest of the Uruks encountered, since they wield massive shields and spears. * Hunter - Hunters throw spears at their targets, and deal extra damage to beasts. These Uruks are smaller compared to the other classes, but can look threatening with all the spears and javelins they carry on their back. They tend to stand at range, behind other melee Uruks, strafing to get a better shot at their target. Like Archers, they can't take near as much punishment as melee-oriented fighters. Tribes * Terror Tribe '-' ''The Terror Tribe is obsessed with apin - inflicting it and sometimes receiving it. Master torturers, the Tribe evokesfear among the the other Orc tribes, who know that capture by the Terror Tribe is truly a fate worse than death. Every Orc in Mordor is capable of revelling in another's pain, but the Terror tribe elevate that pain into a bloody art, measured in screams and moans.'' * Mystic Tribe '- ''Mordor is a place of dark magic, and the Mystic tribes knows rituals and incantations that date thousands of years --rites of blood and death that grant power and pain in equal measure. While the Mystic tribe's warriors are as capable as Orcs of other tribes, all of Mordor fears the curses and spells the Mystic tribe can invoke. Battling the Mystic tribe is a matter of overwhelming them before they can call upon their magic of the Dark Lord -- and rumored connections to ancient evil servants of his -- for aid. * 'Dark Tribe '- The Dark Tribe favors stealth and subterfuge as their preferred means of dominating Mordor on behalf of the Dark Lord , whom they have a fanatical reverence for. Adept at ambushes, double-crosses, and battlefield trickery, they wield power beyond what their numbers would suggest. Other tribes prefer not to deal the Dark Tribe if they can help it, because they believe betrayal is inevitable. But when a troublesome Warchief can't be removed through other means, a word to the Dark Tribe can often suffice to get the job done. * 'Marauder Tribe '- For the Marauder Tribe, battles are just a prelude to the real action: plunder and feasting. This tribe utterly sacks whatever they conquer, leaving only splinters and bones behind. Other Orc tribes gripe that the Marauders are more greedy than they are fearsome, even as they envy the riches the Marauders have earned by plundering others. * 'Slaughter Tribe '- The Slaughter tribe are the most bloodthirsty of the orcs. Their bloodlust goes beyond any interest in war, conquest, or even torture. They are obsessed with viscera, with blood and guts, with the splatter of warm gore on their ecstatic faces. For Slaughter orcs, killing is messy and usually precedes further acts of savagery and cannibalism. They show an almost complete disregard for their appearance, often wearing ragged aprons or uncured animal skins still dripping with blood. Slaughter Orcs typically take small trophies from their enemies, such as fingers, hands, and feet, assuming said items haven't been eaten. Likewise, their forts are draped with the skins of their victims, to remind them of the thrill of battle and the pleasure of the feast that follows. They revel in their reputation for being bloodthirsty, but the bloodthirstiness of the Slaughter Tribe can turn the stomach of even the toughest Uruk. * 'Feral Tribe '- Mordor has denizens more fearsome than any Orc , and the Feral Tribe takes those beasts such as Caragors and Graugs when they can, and they adorn their clothing and armor with fetishes and trophies from the beasts they've hunted. The Feral Tribe's reverence for Mordor's beasts extends beyond clothing, though. In battle they roar, snarl, and rend flesh with a ferocity that rivals any Caragor. * '''Outlaw Tribe - The Outlaw tribe is home to the most rebellious members of the Orc population. They have a deep contempt of 'all those who would rule them, be they foreign invaders or the self. They are intensely proud and consider themeselves members of the ultimate race, serving but the Dark Lord Sauron himself. The Outlaw tribe envisions Mordor as a sovereign land belonging only to orcs and their dark master, though their aspirations extend far beyond Mordor and they hunger for the day when they can take their to greater Middle-earth. Other Orcs see them as a rebellious, scrappy, and dangerous tribe who are just as likely to attack invading armies as they are to turn on their allies and claim Mordor for themselves. They adorn their forts with their insignia - the bloody fist - and they take every opportunity to espouse their message of defiance against foreign races and lesser Orcs. * 'Machine Tribe '- The Machine Tribe believes that Mordor is on the cusp if a new age, one of industry and mechanization. Fueled by the mines of Tamon Angren, their smithies and forges turn out much of the Dark Lord's war material, and black plumes in the sky are a sign that the Machine Tribe's factories are near. The Machine Tribe takes a mechanical approach to warfare as well, their soldiers moving in lockstep. Every member of the tribe sees himself as just a cog in a larger apparatus -- one that someday will encompass all of Mordor. Known Uruks * Zog the Eternal * Khrosh * Lurtz * Gartopsh * Hoaran * Uglúk * Mauthak Category:Orcs Category:Uruk-hai Category:Servants of Sauron Category:Servants of Saruman Category:Servants of Evil